Whatever alchemy had occurred, it had certainly brought them closer together. So close that Kelly knew they were treading the very fine line that could lie between friendship and something a whole lot more significant. It was the same kind of tension that she’d been aware of the other day, when they’d been waiting for Peggy to come out of surgery and she’d been so sure that Ari had been about to kiss her. And, because this wasn’t the first time, it didn’t make her feel nearly so wary. When Ari’s fingers brushed the skin of her neck as he was doing up her helmet, Kelly could feel the buzz of tension as something pleasurable rather than a warning.
Something even more pleasurable than standing in her hot shower now, rinsing away both soap suds and some of the chill of that flooded stream. Ari had insisted that she have the first shower and Kelly had agreed because she didn’t need to wash her hair immediately so she could be quicker. Ari was choosing something from the takeout menu for the nearby Chinese restaurant and placing the order while she was in the bathroom and Kelly was going to go and pick up the food while he was having his turn in the shower.
By the time she got back, the gas fire should have done its job to make her small sitting room that doubled as a dining room cosy enough to make them both forget the less pleasant aspects of that damp and muddy mission and, if he was as hungry as she was, the food would be even more welcome.
Kelly couldn’t wait. She turned off the shower, hurriedly towelled herself dry and then dressed in her favourite “at home” clothes of her most comfortable yoga pants, an oversized sweatshirt and some old sheepskin boots. She pulled her hair out of its bun and brushed it but didn’t bother tying it up again. She wanted to make sure that Ari didn’t interpret this invitation to come home with her as anything other than casual. Convenient. The kind of thing that any friends could do and no reason at all to run. Or hide. Those boundaries were still visible and they wouldn’t be crossed. Not unless that was a mutual choice.
‘Shower’s all yours,’ she told Ari as she grabbed her shoulder bag on her way through living room to the front door. ‘And help yourself to a beer from the fridge. I’ll be back with dinner in no time.’
Being the end of the weekend, however, the takeout section of the popular local restaurant was being well patronised and it took longer than Kelly had expected. It was raining again as she came out into the dark of the early evening and gusts of wind were picking up long tresses of her hair to make them tangle around her face. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to get home and down the steps to let herself back into the flat, with her bag full of cardboard boxes of steaming rice and fragrant food.
‘Wow...that smells amazing.’
Ari’s voice came from behind Kelly as she pushed the door shut and she turned to see him coming out of the bathroom, rubbing at his head with a towel. The only clothing he had on was a pair of faded jeans and, while they were zipped up, the top button hadn’t yet been fastened. Maybe that was what undid something deep inside Kelly and unleashed a shaft of desire that made her breath catch in astonishment. Or maybe it was Ari dropping the towel around his shoulders to reveal that his hair—that Kelly had only seen sleeked back into a tidy man bun—was loose and falling in soft, damp waves to frame his face and neck.
That little gas fire had certainly done its job in warming this room up. Kelly was suddenly feeling overheated. Because she’d come back in from being out in a cold, rainy evening? No. It didn’t take more than a split second to realise that this heat had very little to do with any external source. No wonder people who were good looking were described as being “hot”. Kelly was melting right now because she’d never seen anyone who was as beautiful as Ari Lawson was at this moment.
This small room was making him seem taller. Broader. Or perhaps it was because Kelly could see so much of that smooth, olive skin covering muscles that her fingers itched to touch the shape of. He looked so different with his hair loose as well. Softer? Or was that impression due to how dark his eyes seemed in the shadows of that tousled hair?
Whatever the reason, Kelly was still having trouble catching her breath. She was still aware of that spear of sensation that was a white heat deep in her belly and there were tendrils of that heat reaching her toes and fingertips to make them also feel as if they were melting. Losing their function anyway, because the handle of the bag Kelly was holding slipped from her fingers to land on the floorboards.
‘Oh, no...’ Kelly dropped to a crouch. ‘I’m so clumsy...’
‘Oops...’ Ari swooped at the same time to rescue the bag.
The waxed boxes were sealed tightly enough not to have spilled their contents but they were falling out of the top of the bag and both Ari and Kelly reached for them at the same time so that what actually happened was that Ari caught hold of Kelly’s hand instead of a box.
Time appeared to stop in that instant. Kelly lifted her gaze but then froze as it met Ari’s. She felt her pulse suddenly speed up and then trip as it missed a beat but it was the only part of her body that was moving. Even her lungs had given up on the idea of drawing in a fresh breath.
Oh...my... Kelly completely forgot about the food she’d been about to rescue. She couldn’t even smell it now because she was close enough to Ari to be able to smell the shampoo and soap he’d been using. Her shampoo and soap, which made the scent familiar enough to feel safe but, mixed with the background musk of potent masculinity, it was different enough to be arousing her senses in a way that was making everything completely new—brilliantly clear and so sharp and bright it was as if she was using those senses properly for the first time in her life. And, because time had stopped, she was aware of every one of them.
That touch of his hand on her own, almost burning her skin with the intensity of the sensation. Kelly could feel the puff of his breath on her face at the same time because they were that close and she could hear it as a sigh. She could feel the warmth of that breath as well—or was it the heat that seemed to be radiating from his skin? Her gaze finally drifted down to his lips, having torn itself away from the depths of those wickedly dark eyes that she just knew could see every single thing she was thinking and feeling.
Taste... That was the only sense that Kelly wasn’t using but, somehow, she knew how delicious it would be to put her tongue against that gorgeous, olive skin. Or to lose herself in a kiss that would totally capture her mouth. Unconsciously, the tip of her tongue came out to dampen her bottom lip as she imagined that kiss and it was then that she heard the change in that breath that Ari was releasing. An almost sound that—if it had involved his vocal cords—could have been a groan of desire. Of lust even...
How could so many impressions and the flash of so many thoughts happen with such speed? There was a warning sounding somewhere in the back of Kelly’s mind—something to do with what she’d been told about Ari and how women never stayed long in his life. But at that same instant Kelly had the feeling that those women wouldn’t have regretted being there when they looked back, no matter how short the time had been, because they would have shared something very special. As unique as Ari was. She would settle for whatever he wanted to offer her at this moment, even if that was no more than a kiss. Because everything had changed. Or maybe it was only one thing that had changed but that one thing had the power to change the rest of her life.
It wasn’t simply the familiar scent of her own toiletries on Ari’s skin and hair that were providing a sense of safety, was it? That had been there well before she’d even invited Ari into her home. It had been there at that moment when she’d become aware of that new bond between herself and Ari when they’d heard Zoe’s baby cry for the first time and they’d become a real team. A partnership that could accomplish more than either of them could on their own. People who could totally trust each other.
And Kelly had been aware that there was something even bigger than anything professional in knowing that she could trust Ari. For a split second she’d know
n that it might just be possible to go back in time—or at least reset something in her heart or her head that would allow her to trust in someone enough to believe that they would never set out to hurt her. That the dream of finding someone who would be a partner for life might not have vanished for ever.
Her breath had already caught in her throat and now there was a squeeze in her chest that meant she wouldn’t be trying to use her lungs anytime too soon. A squeeze that was tight enough to be painful, as Kelly understood that she had already given that trust to Ari without realising that she had. How could she not have known when she’d recognised the danger they’d been in in that car and yet she’d felt safe because she’d had Ari by her side?
She could feel that internal squeeze morphing into something else. Something that was just between herself and Ari and, yes, it had a lot to do with wanting him and the need to touch and be touched, but it there was more to it than simply sex. There was something huge happening here that had the potential to be as full of hope—and joy—as the safe arrival of Zoe’s baby had been.
It could only have been enough time for a few heartbeats since they’d both dropped to reach for that bag at the same time but it felt like for ever. Enough time for so much to fall into place for Kelly anyway. And enough time for a silent conversation to have happened. For questions to be asked and answered. For desire to be acknowledged and permission given to explore it, at least a little.
And, still, Kelly hadn’t taken a new breath but it didn’t seem to matter. She had to close her eyes against the intensity of what she could see in Ari’s eyes as he closed the gap between their faces in the same kind of slow motion that the last seconds had been played out in. She wanted to let her eyes drift shut anyway, because all she wanted to do right now was to feel. And taste...
* * *
This wasn’t supposed to be happening.
Okay, he’d had that warning that he was a little too aware of Kelly as more than a colleague or a friend but he’d been so confident that he could keep his distance enough to make sure nothing got out of control.
But here he was—a heartbeat away from kissing Kelly Reynolds. Again... Knowing that it was exactly what she wanted as much as he did. And maybe she needed it to happen far more than he needed it not to happen? Right from that first time he’d met Kelly—when he’d seen her confidence and courage shrink before his eyes when she had been faced by that idiot of an ex-boyfriend—he’d sensed that she needed someone to make it obvious how incredibly special she was and give her the confidence to believe in herself, no matter what situation she might find herself in in the future. How much easier would it be to communicate that with a kiss than by trying to find the words that would be convincing enough?
He’d known all along that he didn’t have the space in his life for someone like Kelly—that it wouldn’t be fair on anyone involved to indulge in his usual kind of short-term fling and that he could never consider anything long term—but he’d also known that the pull might prove to be irresistible. And he wasn’t the only one who could feel that pull from Kelly, was he? A brief encounter with Stacey had been enough for his foster sister to make a real attempt to change aspects of her life and Peggy...well, Peggy had been captured by that very first meeting with Kelly. Or perhaps she had sensed a connection that was already there between Ari and Kelly that neither of them had recognised.
‘You’re just the sort of girl who’d be perfect for my Ari...’
The boundaries had been there, though, despite any attraction and that near miss in the waiting room the other day. They both had their reasons for keeping the boundaries intact. Ari had never wanted to find a “serious” relationship with anyone and Kelly had clearly had her trust in so many things damaged. In men, relationships and, worst of all, in herself. But something had changed today.
It had changed at that moment when the car had lurched and scraped on those rocks and he’d conquered his own fear in order to try and reassure both Zoe and Kelly. When he’d promised he was not going to let anything bad happen to them. When he’d held Kelly’s gaze to make sure she knew that he meant what he said. Even now, Ari could still feel how strong that urge to protect her had been and it wasn’t just that he wanted to keep her safe from physical harm. He knew perfectly well that emotional harm could have even more far-reaching effects and he also knew that there was a new connection that had been cemented between himself and Kelly today. A connection that was, possibly, as deep as any connection between two people could be.
Trust.
A form of love all on its own and perhaps the first real trust Kelly could believe in for a very long time. A first, huge step towards healing? Ari could sense that if he pushed back from Kelly now, as her eyes were drifting shut, he would be breaking this promise of a kiss that was hanging in the air between them, and that would mean he would somehow be breaking that trust as well.
He couldn’t do that.
Besides... Ari could feel the relief as he relaxed his muscles enough to allow him to lean forward and touch Kelly’s lips with his own. It was only going to be a kiss after all.
Just a kiss.
What harm could that do?
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘OH, NO... I thought Stacey or Ari would be able to answer the door. I didn’t want you to have to get up.’
‘I’m fine, lovey. Getting better every day. Come in...’ Peggy turned to lead the way towards the kitchen at the back of her house. ‘Ari’s just popped out to collect Stace. She had an outing with her antenatal group today—it’s a special one for teenage mothers and I think they went to visit a play centre.’
Peggy was using a walking stick and moving slowly and carefully but, when she turned to smile at Kelly at the kitchen door, there was no sign of her being in too much pain. If anything, she looked much happier than when Kelly had last seen her in hospital a week or so ago.
‘I’ve been telling Ari that I’m quite ready for visitors now. Especially you...’ Her smile was making the crinkles around her eyes deeper. ‘Did you bring your squares?’
‘I did. I think I’ve made enough of them to start joining some up. It’s a bit addictive, isn’t it? Knitting? People are laughing at me at work because I take it out when things are quiet.’
‘I’ve always found it very soothing, I have to say.’ Peggy nodded.
She was making her way to the old couch at the far end of the huge kitchen which was draped with one of the colourful, handmade blankets that Kelly was currently aspiring to create. Kelly offered her a supportive arm as she settled and then put her feet up and, as she did so, she remembered the first time she had ever been in this room and had a clear memory of how tenderly Ari had settled his foster mum onto these cushions and how his touch could reveal how much he loved someone. The memory gave her one of those chest-tightening moments that felt like one’s heart was being held in a hand that could squeeze so hard it brought tears to your eyes.
Because she now knew just how tender Ari was capable of being. What the touch of his hands was actually like and how incredibly special it could make you feel. It could make you feel genuinely loved, although Kelly was trying to remind herself that it was simply sex and didn’t necessarily mean anything more than the fact they were so attracted to each other. The first time had been a revelation, mind you. And the second time, only days ago, had been even more astonishing, so there was something snapping at the heels of that tenderness that made a lot more than her heart feel a squeeze.
Kelly might be getting used to these sensations of pure desire that could be conjured up with no more than a thought about Ari Lawson and create a delicious knot deep in her belly but it didn’t make them any less powerful. If anything, they were getting stronger. Strong enough to make her close her eyes as she took a breath and rode the wave of that knot tightening to the point of pain and then ebbing to leave a delicious tingle. It happened even if he wasn’t anywhere nearby or
she couldn’t even hear his voice on a phone call or something.
When he was breathing the same air, it took only the briefest eye contact for the need to be alone with him to become almost overpowering but, on the plus side, they were already learning that it could build a tension that could take sex to the next level. To a level that Kelly hadn’t ever guessed even existed, in fact.
‘Pop the kettle on, there’s a love.’ Peggy settled back on her cushions with a sigh. ‘I’m a bit parched and it’s past time for afternoon tea.’
‘Do you need anything else? Painkillers maybe?’
‘No, thanks, lovey. I’m good. Just pass me that bag of wool over there and I’ll see what I can find to edge your squares. A dark colour is usually best. Have you ever done any crochet?’
‘No.’ Kelly’s heart sank. ‘I’ve seen people doing it and it looks harder than knitting.’
‘It’s easier,’ Peggy said. ‘You don’t have to do an edging—you can just sew the squares together but I think it looks better. Like this...’ She traced the dark outline on the squares of the blanket hanging beside her over the back of the couch. ‘I think it brings everything together and makes it perfect.’
About to agree, Kelly was distracted by the sound of people arriving as the front door slammed shut. The ripple of laughter made her catch Peggy’s gaze in surprise because she’d never heard Stacey laughing before. And then her own lips were curving into a smile as she heard the answering rumble of Ari’s laughter and she couldn’t look away from the door because she couldn’t wait to see him again. To feel that squeeze in her belly and the warmth of a pleasure—so deep it was indescribable—that she knew would touch every cell in her body the instant that Ari’s gaze met her own.
The Paramedic's Unexpected Hero Page 11